1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to a pick for a stringed musical instrument. More particularly, the invention relates to a pick having a wear indicator. Specifically, the invention relates to a pick having a line or ridge disposed adjacent a playing surface to provide a visual indication of the extent to which the playing surface has worn away.
2. Background Information
Stringed musical instruments such as guitars, banjos and the like contain metal or plastic strings that are selectively strummed by the user to create music. The strings can be strummed by the user's fingertips although such strumming sometimes can lead to irritation, pain, and wear of the skin on the fingertips. As is understood in the relevant art, a pick is often used to selectively pluck or strum the strings of the stringed musical instrument. Such a pick typically is held between the thumb and forefinger of the playing hand or is attached to one of the fingers thereof with the tip of the pick being used to strum the strings of the musical instrument. The use of a pick in such a fashion obviates the wear and irritation otherwise caused to the fingertips.
The use of such picks has not, however, been without limitation. A pick preferably is formed with a pointed tip to permit the user to selectively strum one or more strings out of a group of closely spaced and parallel strings. Inasmuch as the pointed tip must operatively interact with metal and/or plastic strings that are tightly tensioned, the friction between the pick and the string results in incremental wear of the pointed tip of the pick. The vast majority of such picks are manufactured out of a stiff plastic material inasmuch as plastic provides the desired level of rigidity and damping to operate effectively with the vibrating strings of stringed musical instruments. Thus, wear is inevitably experienced at the tip of the pick. Such wear occurs incrementally with use and gradually impairs the performance of the pick with a resulting deleterious effect on the quality of the music produced by the stringed musical instrument. Such a worn pick may also be correspondingly difficult to play. The slow progress of the wear can often go unnoticed by the user.
Thus, it is desired to provide a pick having a wear indicator that provides a visual indication of the extent that the tip of the pick has worn away with use. Preferably, the wear indicator would be a line or raised ridge adjacent the edge and spaced inward therefrom with the tip wear appearing as an incongruity between the wear indicator and the tip.